NYS Broadcasters Association To Welcome McLaughlin Into 2008 Hall Of Fame

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ALBANY, NY (05/19/2008)(readMedia)-- The New York State Broadcasters Association (NYSBA) today announced that Edward F. McLaughlin - former president of ABC Radio Network and the man who discovered Rush Limbaugh - has been named to NYSBA's 2008 Hall of Fame.

The Greenwich, CT resident will be inducted during the Tony Malara Awards Dinner at NYSBA's 47th Executive Conference slated for June 24 at the picturesque Sagamore Resort Hotel in Bolton Landing.

McLaughlin is chairman and chief executive officer of EFM Media Management, Inc., a company he founded in July 1987. Until April 1997, EFM produced and distributed The Rush Limbaugh Show, The Rush Limbaugh Morning Update, and the Dr. Dean Edell radio programs.

Before forming EFM Media, McLaughlin had a long tenure with ABC Radio. He was president of the ABC Radio Networks from 1972 to 1986, where he implemented the multi-network concept and expanded ABC's radio networks from four to six in 1982.

"Ed was a true visionary and was able to see things that others couldn't," said NYSBA President Joseph A. Reilly. "Instead of having just a single network serving one demographic or one market, he envisioned a multi-network world that served a multitude of TV audiences in each market."

Among his many accomplishments as president of ABC Radio Networks was obtaining the first exclusive live radio network rights to the Olympic Games with the 1984 summer Olympics from Los Angeles. He also guided ABC's special programming to produce its first long-form programs, including Elvis: Memories and The Barbra Streisand Special, and to acquire such program giants as American Top 40 with Casey Kasem and American Country Countdown with Bob Kingsley.

Prior to serving as president of the ABC Networks, McLaughlin was vice president and general manager of ABC's KGO Talkradio in San Francisco. He first joined ABC in 1964 as KGO's general sales manager.

McLaughlin is chairman emeritus of the board of The Broadcasters Foundation. In 1995 he was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame, and in 1996 he received the National Association of Broadcasters' National Radio Award. McLaughlin was also the first chairman of the Radio Network Association and a long-standing board member of the International Radio & Television Foundation. In addition, he is a trustee of The Paley Center for Media and remains active in broadcasting.

McLaughlin joins fellow Hall of Fame-bound nominees, including Roger King, the "father of modern TV syndication;" acclaimed radio general manager Bob Bruno; veteran Capital Region radio manager John Kelly; and, legendary Buffalo Bills play-by-play announcer Van Miller.

For more information on NYSBA's 47th Annual Executive Conference, call (518) 456-8888, or go to www.nysbroadcasters.org.

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Founded in 1955, the NYS Broadcasters Association (NYSBA) represents the interests of more than 500 television and radio stations in the NYS Assembly, the US Congress, and various other legislative bodies. NYSBA also offers a variety of services to help the broadcasters of New York State better serve their communities. For more information, call (518) 456-8888 or go to www.nysbroadcasters.org.